World's Fastest Carbon Capture Claims 99.9% Efficiency In Ambient Air

Researchers at Tokyo Metropolitan University have invented a novel molecule that can remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere with 99 percent efficiency and at least double the speed of current systems, Michael Irving reported for New Atlas,

Photo Insert: The Tokyo Metro team discovered isophorone diamine (IPDA), which was particularly effective at capturing carbon dioxide while studying a series of liquid amine compounds.

Direct air capture (DAC) systems typically remove carbon dioxide by passing air or exhaust through a filter or catalyst, such as magnetic sponges, zeolite foam, clay, or coffee grounds. Others pass CO2 through a liquid, which either absorbs it or causes it to split into solid crystals or flakes. The findings were published in the ACS Environmental Au journal.

The new compound is classified as a liquid-solid phase separation system. The Tokyo Metro team discovered isophorone diamine (IPDA), which was particularly effective at capturing carbon dioxide while studying a series of liquid amine compounds.

During testing, the team discovered that IPDA could remove more than 99 percent of CO2 from air at a concentration of 400 parts per million (ppm) – roughly the level currently in the atmosphere.

This process was also much faster than other methods of carbon capture, removing 201 millimoles of CO2 per hour per mole of the compound. This is at least twice as fast as other DAC lab systems and significantly faster than the leading artificial leaf device.

The pollutant is separated into flakes of a solid carbamic acid material, which can be easily removed from the liquid. It can be converted back into gaseous CO2 if necessary, by heating it to 60 °C (140 °F), which also releases the original liquid IPDA ready for reuse.

Carbon, whether solid or gas, can then be stored or reused in industrial or chemical processes. The new system shows promise, but there is always the issue of scale.

Every year, humanity emits approximately 30 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and the world's largest direct air capture plant currently removes approximately 4,000 tons. It's a little like using a shot glass to bail water out of a sinking ship.

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